The Sunnyside Shorts International Film Festival in 2018, when it was held at Sunnyside Reformed Church (Photo: Sunnyside Shorts)
Sept. 1, 2020 By Michael Dorgan
The Sunnyside Shorts International Film Festival is going virtual this year with an expanded line-up of 76 award-winning films from 26 different countries.
The festival of short films will run from Sep. 26 through Oct. 10 and viewers can watch all the action online via the film hosting website Eventive.org.
The festival, now in its 15th year, was typically a one-day event held indoors at the Sunnyside Reformed Church but the COVID-19 shutdown forced organizers to rethink their delivery method in order to comply with city guidelines.
Organizers decided to host the festival online this year which also gave them the opportunity to stretch the festival out to two weeks.
Festival Director Sherry Gamlin said the virtual setting still fulfills the festival’s core mission to “bring cultures together through the art of filmmaking.”
Gamlin said that there is a wide-range of movies to choose from in this year’s line-up that will stimulate a variety of emotions.
“Some are devastating, they make you think, a few make you laugh, and all are downright beautiful,” Gamlin said.
There will be screenings made from independent filmmakers in the United States and Canada as well as from Europe, Asia, South America and Africa. Organizers say they received more than 400 film submissions for this year’s festival.
The films will span many genres and will include animation, comedy, documentary, narrative, and LGBTQ themed short-films.
Viewers will also get the chance to vote for their favorite films in each genre.
Some of the top picks include “Anna,” a UK/Ukraine collaboration which was nominated for a Palme d’Or at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival; “Bullets to Books,” a documentary about gun violence in South Sudan made by New York City-based director Andy Truschinski; “Interstice,” a Swedish film about LGBTQ issues; and “Where Do Babies Come From,” a comedy around the topic of sex education and the origin of babies.
The festival is funded by a grant provided by The Queens Council on the Arts and through public funding received from The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with New York City Council.
Tickets cost $15 and can be purchased on the Sunnyside Shorts International Film Festival website by clicking here.
Ticketholders will be able to stream all 76 movies for that price.
Sunnyside Shorts International Film Festival poster
